It was another eventful weekend in college football. Let's look back with another edition of Noters on a Big Ten Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
Maryland 29- USC 28: College Park, MD- Stop me if you've heard this one before. USC takes a lead into the late fourth quarter only to lose in heartbreaking fashion at the end. The Trojans held a 21-7 lead in the third quarter thanks to a 22-yard pass from QB Miller Moss to WR Kyron Hudson, a 15-yard pass to Ja'Kobi Lane and a five-yard run by RB Woody Marks. Then disaster struck. Just as SC looked to put the game away. Moss threw yet another game-changing interception. One play later, Maryland QB Billy Edwards, Jr. completed an 18-yard scoring strike to WR Tai Felton. Maryland was now back in the game down just 21-14. USC would then take a 28-14 lead on a 26-yard pass from Moss to WR Duce Robinson. Maryland answered right back with a 10-yard TD pass from Edwards to RB Roman Hemby. They then got the two-point conversion to trail just 28-22 with 9:56 to play. The Trojans had a chance to put away the game with 2:00 to play and a 4th and 1 at the Terrapins 24-yard line. SC HC Lincoln Riley decided to kick the FG for a nine-point lead instead going for the first down. The FG attempt was blocked and retuned to the USC 47-yard line. Five plays later, Edwards ran untouched three yards into the end zone for a 29-28 Terps lead. The Men of Troy's last chance to win the game ended like most of their losses with a bad pass from Moss. The ball fell incomplete and Maryland had the upset win. (Are these road failures really upsets anymore?). For Maryland, Edwards torched the trojans completing 39 of 50 passes for 373 yards, two TDs and an interception. He also ran for the game-winning score. WR Kaden Prather was Edwards' top target catching nine balls for 111 yards. For the now 3-4 Trojans. Moss completed 34 of 50 passes for 336 yards, three TDs and another huge interception. Marks led all rushers with 82 yards and a TD on 17 carries.
Telling Stat: 4th and WTF?!; SC's failure to go for it on 4th and 1 cost the Trojans the game.
Oregon 35- Purdue 0: West Lafayette, IN- Media pundits tried to make folks wonder if the Ducks would stumble this week after their emotional win over Ohio State last week. However, most of the country realized that they were facing Purdue Friday night and not much wonder or worry was to be found in their workmanlike pasting of the Boilermakers. UO ended the competitive portion of the game in the first quarter with a pair short TD runs by RB Jordan James for 14-0 lead. The Webfoots would take a 21-0 lead into the half on a 12-yard TD pass from QB Dillion Gabriel to WR Tez Johnson. UO's offense spent a scoreless third quarter missing a FG, while the defense shutdown PU for downs twice to keep the shutout going. The fourth quarter saw the team from Eugene score two more times on a an eight-yard TD pass from Gabriel to RB Noah Whittington and a 12-yard TD scamper from RB Jay Harris. After that the only suspense left was whether the Ducks would keep the Boilermakers off the scoreboard. They was accomplished when DB Kam Alexander picked off QB Ryan Browne in the end zone with :29 left in the contest. For the 7-0 Ducks, Gabriel completed 21 of 25 passes for 290 yards, two TDs and an interception. For the 1-6 Boilermakers, RB Reggie Love III led all rushers with 93 yards on 11 carries which matched the passing total of Browne who competed just nine of 19 passes for 93 yards and an interception.
Telling Stat: Three is a tragic number; Purdue ran just three plays all night in the Oregon Red Zone and one of those was a missed field goal.
Indiana 56- Nebraska 7: Bloomington, IN- The Hoosiers moved to 7-0 on the year with a thumping of the Cornhuskers in front of a sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium. The slow moving first quarter saw IU take a 7-0 lead win a five-yard TD run from RB Justice Ellison. Indiana then extended that lead to 14-0 to start the second period on a. seven-yard TD strike from QB Kurtis Rourke to WR Myles Price. Nebraska cut their deficit to 14-7 when RB Jacory Barney, Jr. broke off a seven-yard TD scamper. It looked like we might have a game here between two pretty good teams. That didn't happen as Indiana just worked over the Huskers for the final two and a half quarters. IU took a 28-7 into the half on a pair of TD runs of a yard and 31 yards from RB Ty Son Lawton and Ellison. The lead came at a price as QB Kurtis Rourke hurt his thumb and wouldn't play in the second half. All Indiana did after that was outscore the Huskers 28-0 with backup QB Tayven Jackson throwing two TD passes to go with two more rushing scores. In his one half of play Rourke completed 17 of 21 passes for 189 yards, a TD and an interception. Jackson completed seven of eight passes for 91 yards and two scores in his half of play. Ellison led all rushers with 105 yards and two TDs on nine carries. For the hapless Huskers, Raiola completed 28 of 44 passes for 234 yards and three interceptions.
Telling Stat: There is a D in Blowout; Indiana's defense forced five turnovers and held for downs five more times to set the stage for the big blowout in Bloomington.
Wisconsin 23- Northwestern 3: Evanston, IL- It was NU's last game at their temporary stadium and it wasn't a great one for the home crowd as the Badgers wore down the Wildcats for the win. First quarter was a scoreless affair. The thing that came closest to resembling a scoring chance was when NU PK Luke Akers missed on a 51-yard FG attempt. Wisconsin took over the ball on the their own 34-yard line and marched 66 yards in eight plays to take a 7-0 lead on an eight-yard TD scramble from QB Braedyn Locke. The teams would then trade missed field goals before Wisconsin got the break that would see them take control of the game. Badgers Punter Atticus Bertams set his team top for success having a punt being downed at the Wildcats one-yard line. Five plays later, NU QB Jack Lausch was sacked and fumbled at the NU three-yard line. DT Elijah Ellis recovered the ball at that spot for Wisconsin. From there it took one play for RB Cade Yacameilli to burst into the end zone for a 14-0 lead for UW with :39 left in the half. Northwestern showed some fight to start the seance half with a 26-yard FG from Akers and picking off the Badgers on their next possession. However, Wisconsin forced a punt and the Wildcats never seriously threatened to get back into the game again. UW extended their lead to 21-3 on a three-yard aerial from Locke to TE Tucker Ashcroft at the end of the third period. The Sons of Bucky put the exclamation point on their win early in the fourth quarter when Lausch was sacked by LB Sebastian Cheeks and DT Curt Neal for a safety and a 23-3 lead. Locke led the badgers attack completing 14 of 24 passes for 160 yards, a TD and an interception. RB Tawee Walker was the game's top rusher, gaining 126 yards on 23 carries to aid the Badgers cause. For the Wildcats, Lausch completed nine of 24 passes for 82 yards and ran ten times for 55 yards.
Telling Stat: They shall not pass; Wisconsin held Northwestern to 82 yards passing on 24 attempts. That's a paltry 3.4 yards per attempt.
UCLA 35- Rutgers 32: Piscataway, NJ- The bRuins got their first ever Big Ten win by getting out to an early lead. They then extended that lead and then hung on for dear life at the end as they almost collapsed down the stretch. A pair of TD passes from QB Ethan Garbers and a 49-yard TD run from Garbers paced UCLA to a 21-10 halftime lead. The third quarter saw Rutgers close the gap to 21-19 on a six-yard TD run from RB Kyle Monagai and 35-yard FG from PK Jai Patel. UCLA then jumped out a 35-19 lead on two more TD passes from Garbers. The bRuins then missed a FG and then fumbled late to set up Rutgers for a comeback. Two more short TD runs for Monangai set the score at 35-32 with 1:45 to play. RU then tried an onside kick which was recovered by the bRuins. Three kneel down later and UCLA had the win. Garbers had one of his better days as a bRuin completing 32 of 38 passes for 383 yards and four TDs. He also ran for 48 yards on nine carries and a TD. For the Scarlet Knights Monagai led all rushers with 106 yards on 19 carries and three scores.
Telling Stat: 1; UCLA has a Big Ten win.
Illinois 21- Michigan 7: Champaign-Urbana, IL- It was the 100th anniversary celebration of Memorial Stadium at Illinois and you couldn't have had a nicer day for it. 72 degrees and sunny with fall in full color. Illinois also came out wearing some of the neatest throwback threads ever. The Illini also honored the memory of Red Grange by beating the Wolverines as he did when the stadium was dedicated a century ago. The Illini started this one off with a a drive of 46 yards that culminated with a 47-yard FG from PK David Olano of 47 yards for a 3-0 lead. Michigan got the ball and started their third different QB of the year with Jack Tuttle trying to give life to the Wolverine passing game that has flatlined as the season has gone on. Tuttle had one real good series and that was about it as he wasn't very accurate and had trouble turning the ball over. His second quarter fumble led to a 32-yard FG from Olano for a 6-0 lead. UM RB Donovan Edwards would fumble on the ensuing drive and Illinois turned that into a 13-0 lead when QB Luke Altmyer threw a two-yard TD pass to TE Tanner Atkins. It looked like UM would get ran out for the building, but they put together a fine drive to cut the Illini lead to 13-7 when RB Kalel Mulings dove over the pile on 4th and Goal from the six-inch line for a TD. Illinois extended their lead to 21-7 other first drive of the second half when Altmyer scored on QB sneak. He lost his helmet on the play and that left backup QB Donovan Leary to run the two-point attempt. He came in and threw a beautiful pass to the back of. the end zone where WR Zachary Franklin caught it for a successful conversion and Illiojns had a 21-7 lead. The rest of the game was defensive struggle with Michigan completely shutting down the Illinois offense while the Illini defense managed to keep the Wolverines off the scoreboard forcing a missed FG and picking off Tuttle at their own two-yard line. Michigan would never threaten again. For the Illini, Altmyer completed nine of 18 passes for 80 yards and a TD. He also ran the ball 10 times for 48 yards and a score. Tuttle finished the day completing 20 of 32 passes for 208 yards with an interception and a fumble. Mullings led all rusher with 87b yards on 19 carries and Michigan's only TD.
Telling Stat: Turnovers Kill; Michigan being -3 in turnovers was the difference in the game.
Michigan State 32- Iowa 20: East Lansing, MI- The first half of this one was a dominant one for the Spartans defense. They held the Hawkeyes to 58 total yards. However, the MSU offense did not take full advantage of what the defense did. It was a FG festival as PK Jonathan Kim connected on four of five kicks that covered 42,43,36 and 29 to give the Spartans a 12-0 half time lead. The third quarter saw both offenses wake up. Iowa wrapped a TD pass of 18 yards from QB Cade McNamara to WR Reece Vander Zee and two-yard TD run by backup QB Brendan Sullivan around an 18-yard TD pass from MSU QB Aiden Chiles to WR Montorie Foster, Jr. to make the score 19-14 Spartans as the quarter ran out. The Fourth period saw MSU extend their lead to 25-14 on two more FGs of 55 and 46 yards from Kim. With 7:34 left, Iowa looked to be finished down nine points. Then lightning struck. RB Kaleb Johnson took handoff off tackle and zoomed down the sideline 75 yards to paydirt. The ensuing two-point conversion attempt would fail, but the Hawkeyes were now in striking distance down, 25-20 with 7:22 to play. Michigan State needed a game-clinching drive. Something they hadn't really gotten all year. Well, they got it. It took nine plays and covered 75 yards with RB Nate Carter blasting throught he Hawkeye defense from a yard out for a touchdown 2:03 to play. Iowa's last chance drive died at the Spartans 35-yard line. McNamara completed a 31-yard pass on 4th and 10 to WR Jacob Gill. However, the refs ruled that Gill had gone out of bounds prior to catching the pass and Iowa was flagged for illegal touching. That penalty gave the ball to MSU and they took a knee to kill the clock and notch a big win. For the Spartans, Chiles completed 22 of 30 passes for 256 yards, a TD and an interception. WR Nick Marsh was his favorite target hauling in eight tosses for 113 yards. For the Hawakeyes, McNamara compared 11 of 23 passes for 150 yards with a TD and an interception. Johnson led all rushers with 98 yard son 14 carries and a TD.
Telling Stat: 6 X 3= W; MSU PK Jonathan Kim's six field goals were the difference in this game. His six FGs are also a new Michigan State single game record.
Observations
..Small schools, small price; Did a little research here. For most D-II and D-III games you can get into the venue for 10 bucks, or just five dollars if you're 55 or older.
...V for 2-0; The State of Tennessee is 2-0 against Alabama. Vandy and the Vols are having fun this year.
...Kicking Atticus; There are two kicking kids named Atticus in the Big Ten. Atticus Sappington handles the PK duties for Oregon while Atticus Bertrams is the Punter for Wisconsin.
...A rueful six; I'm starting to think that Miller Moss' six TD passes in the Holiday Bowl may have been a bad thing for USC.
...Perfect so far; Army, Navy, Indiana, BYU and Iowa State are a combined 34-0. Whoa.
...Gone; Southern Miss HC Will Hall was fired. The Eagles went 14-30 overall under his guidance and started this year at 1-6.
...Speaking of Moss; The kid is suffering from poor pass protection, but he rarely hits any of his receivers in stride. most of his passes are too high, too low or behind his targets. He also can't throw the deep ball.
...Out; Utah's Andy Ludwig has "stepped down" as the OC for the Utes. The Utes are 4-3 overall and 1-3 in Big XII play after being picked to win the Big XII by the media in the preseason.
...Pain in the City of the Angels; USC and UCLA are currently tied for 16th place in the Big Ten.
...Getting it right; Seeing College Gameday head to Indiana this week is pretty cool. What a homecoming for Lee Corso. I hope they do it well.
...That Texas mess; For the refs to overturn the PI call on Texas after the crowd littered the field with water bottles is pretty gutless. You never see PI calls overturned. They stand no matter how bad the call may be and this was a bad one. The optics on this one are very bad for the SEC.
...A confluence of major events in the area; That just a nice way of saying that traffic will be a nightmare in LA on Friday night. Running almost simultaneously, Game One of the World Series will be at Dodger Stadium, while USC hosts Rutgers at the Coliseum. Then the Lakers host the Suns at Crypto.com Arena and the East L.A. Classic between Roosevelt and Garfield will be played at Sofi while ELO will have a concert next door to that at the Kia Forum. Facepalm.
Big Ten Overreactions
Maryland wonders why SC didn't go for it.
Oregon's NIL is undefeated.
Purdue is a 1-11 team.
Indiana plays the game with a confidence few teams have.
Nebraska has no idea what hit them.
Wisconsin is a 9-3 team.
Northwestern is a recruiting class away from going bowling.
Illinois should wear their throwbacks the rest of the season.
Michigan will overpay for a QB in the transfer portal.
Michigan State is starting to turn the corner for Jonathan Smith.
UCLA is improving week to week.
USC is stagnating.
Iowa is an 8-4 team.
Rutgers is a 5-7 team.
Keeping Tabs on Your Exes
...Quietly making noise; Wazzu is 6-1. Their only loss is to Boise State and they could easily go 11-1.
...Bay Area pain; Cal and Stanford are a combined 1-7 in ACC play.
Cool Uniform of the Week
Folks, I'm going with the leather helmet days throwbacks that Illinois wore v. Michigan. The Illini really pulled off this look well especially with the helmets that were all hand painted.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Marquette, MI- We got to the D-II ranks for this game. More specifically, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference where the Roosevelt University Lakers eked out a 16-10 overtime victory over the Northern Michigan Wildcats. The game went to OT tied at 10-10 and the Wildcats had the ball first and fumbled on third down a the RU 16-yard line. The Lakers recovered. Then on their possession, RB Cyrus Zuell ran 11 yards right through the heart of the UNM defense for the game-winning touchdown. The win was Roosevelt's first ever at the D-II level. RU made the jump from the NAIA to D-II this year and is Chicago's only D-II football program.
Blowout Game of the Week: Butte, MT- The Orediggers of Montana Tech put up 43 first quarter points en route to a 97-0 shellacking of Simpson University (CA) in a non-conference matchup of NAIA schools. Crazy thing is that the Orediggers put up those 43 points with 3:59 left in the quarter! KR/WR Levi Torgersron had himself a game, or should we say half. He returned the opening kickoff for a TD then caught three passes for 113 yards and two more scores. He also ran once for 18 yards. The Orediggers defense held Simpson to 30 total yards.
Razorback Report: Fayetteville, AR- Turnovers and failures in the red zone led to Hogs being whipped, 34-10 by LSU. UP next for the Hogs is a trip to Mississippi State.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
One of my favorite parts of any Pixar movie is seeing the list of production babies in the credits.
Candy Corn is the worst Halloween candy. Period.
The most underrated Halloween candy is the Fifth Avenue bar. They aren't easy to find, but they are great.
Until next time folks remember, this advice form a 1935 football card. A lineman with his head down is out of the play.
-The Commissioner
